Hi everyone! Happy I could join this group, thanks for having me. I have learned a lot from reading posts here and thankful for that!
I am in great distress now however regarding several of my gardenias!
1. I purchased one last March, it was doing great up until this year, February when the budds all fell off after which its leaves turned a yellowish color and started falling off. I always kept a tray with little rocks and water and sprayed the plant regularly but the changes came quite suddenly. I also tried to acidify the soil with a little lemon juice but the leaves kept on yellowing. Then one day I noticed I had a red spider infestation so I thought that was the explanation. I got some pesticide and neem oil and the bugs seem to be gone now. After a week or so there were no more spiders and when I was watering the plants I noticed I also had springtails! I tried to dry the soil as much as possible without killing the plants and I don’t see anymore springtails either now. The gardenia seemed to be recovering, and then all the sudden all the leaves wilted, although the soil was moist, the leaves started to dry out excessively. I read some tips and everything indicated I might have root rot. I dug out the plant, cleaned off the dirt, indeed there are some roots that are brown so I started to use a sterilized tool and cutting off the ones that seem ill, I took apart two branches I have already cleaned, and potted them in new soil. I used soil for rhododendron and azaleas as is has ph between 5 and 6.5 and added a little fertilizer for flowering plants that is said to contain all the necessary micro and macro elements but didn’t water it as the soil comes fairly moist in the package. This happened yesterday. It seemed ok (freshly repotted). By this morning they both seem completely wilted and dehydrated. I watered them this morning and placed them in a half shady spot so they don’t get burned too. Not sure I did right though. I placed the remaining three large branches I haven’t cleaned yet it a bowl of water, leaves were all wilted, now they seem to be coming alive.
Any advise?
2. Gardenia number 2.
I bought this one late feb. I repotted it as it had some mold, so i picked a pot with good drainage. This too has been attacked by the bugs so it went through the the process. It seemed to be doing ok until About 2 weeks ago, when its leaves started to yellow, some with brown spots and falling off. Repotted it in new soil. when I did, I noticed at the bottom of the old soil a little white worm around the compost material. It seems dehydrated, new leaves getting thinner and somewhat wilting, a bud however has bloomed last week, so not sure they have the same problem.
3. A tiny gardenia shrub I got for my birthday at the beginning of March. After 2 days I noticed some mold on it. It must have been too damp where they kept it. I quickly removed the dirt and repotted it into clean (rhododendron) soil. I also added some lemon to the water every once in a while. Last week one of its branches ( leaves, bud and all) was completely dried out while the rest of the plant was doing fine. I removed it and planted it in a separate pot in the hopes of getting new roots. Apart from that it was doing fine until 2 days ago, when I noticed some wilting. I gave it a good water and it recovered, but the lower leaves started having yellow spots. one bud looks to be opening soon, but its edges seem burned. This is a young plant. I have two more that seem to be doing fine until now, I separated them along with the Madagascar Jasmine and Aloe plants. They look ok. I’m really worried about the rest.
4. I also have a coffee arabica. Purchased it at a discarded price in December. It was all dried out and burnt. I managed to save it and it started growing beautifully, but it was the most attacked plant out of all the houseplants during the bug infestation. After having gotten rid of the bugs had the most springtails. Drying the soil worked and it was recovering quickly but it also started wilting around the same time the first gardenia did. I must be doing something very wrong or they have a common disease I haven’t figured out yet. I haven’t examined the roots yet.
Please help, I’m really distressed over losing them...
I am in great distress now however regarding several of my gardenias!
1. I purchased one last March, it was doing great up until this year, February when the budds all fell off after which its leaves turned a yellowish color and started falling off. I always kept a tray with little rocks and water and sprayed the plant regularly but the changes came quite suddenly. I also tried to acidify the soil with a little lemon juice but the leaves kept on yellowing. Then one day I noticed I had a red spider infestation so I thought that was the explanation. I got some pesticide and neem oil and the bugs seem to be gone now. After a week or so there were no more spiders and when I was watering the plants I noticed I also had springtails! I tried to dry the soil as much as possible without killing the plants and I don’t see anymore springtails either now. The gardenia seemed to be recovering, and then all the sudden all the leaves wilted, although the soil was moist, the leaves started to dry out excessively. I read some tips and everything indicated I might have root rot. I dug out the plant, cleaned off the dirt, indeed there are some roots that are brown so I started to use a sterilized tool and cutting off the ones that seem ill, I took apart two branches I have already cleaned, and potted them in new soil. I used soil for rhododendron and azaleas as is has ph between 5 and 6.5 and added a little fertilizer for flowering plants that is said to contain all the necessary micro and macro elements but didn’t water it as the soil comes fairly moist in the package. This happened yesterday. It seemed ok (freshly repotted). By this morning they both seem completely wilted and dehydrated. I watered them this morning and placed them in a half shady spot so they don’t get burned too. Not sure I did right though. I placed the remaining three large branches I haven’t cleaned yet it a bowl of water, leaves were all wilted, now they seem to be coming alive.
Any advise?
2. Gardenia number 2.
I bought this one late feb. I repotted it as it had some mold, so i picked a pot with good drainage. This too has been attacked by the bugs so it went through the the process. It seemed to be doing ok until About 2 weeks ago, when its leaves started to yellow, some with brown spots and falling off. Repotted it in new soil. when I did, I noticed at the bottom of the old soil a little white worm around the compost material. It seems dehydrated, new leaves getting thinner and somewhat wilting, a bud however has bloomed last week, so not sure they have the same problem.
3. A tiny gardenia shrub I got for my birthday at the beginning of March. After 2 days I noticed some mold on it. It must have been too damp where they kept it. I quickly removed the dirt and repotted it into clean (rhododendron) soil. I also added some lemon to the water every once in a while. Last week one of its branches ( leaves, bud and all) was completely dried out while the rest of the plant was doing fine. I removed it and planted it in a separate pot in the hopes of getting new roots. Apart from that it was doing fine until 2 days ago, when I noticed some wilting. I gave it a good water and it recovered, but the lower leaves started having yellow spots. one bud looks to be opening soon, but its edges seem burned. This is a young plant. I have two more that seem to be doing fine until now, I separated them along with the Madagascar Jasmine and Aloe plants. They look ok. I’m really worried about the rest.
4. I also have a coffee arabica. Purchased it at a discarded price in December. It was all dried out and burnt. I managed to save it and it started growing beautifully, but it was the most attacked plant out of all the houseplants during the bug infestation. After having gotten rid of the bugs had the most springtails. Drying the soil worked and it was recovering quickly but it also started wilting around the same time the first gardenia did. I must be doing something very wrong or they have a common disease I haven’t figured out yet. I haven’t examined the roots yet.
Please help, I’m really distressed over losing them...
